Film reviews of the latest movies, competitions and more - what's on in Liverpool and Merseyside

Film review: The Rum Diary Nov 11 2011

JOHNNY Depp, a close friend of American writer Hunter S Thompson, takes another swig from his pal's literary musings with The Rum Diary, written for the screen and directed by Bruce Robinson (Withnail & I).Read

DVD previews: Pianomania, Harry Hill’s TV Burp and more Nov 11 2011

WHO’D have thought it? A documentary about a piano tuner that turns out to be an absolute joy.Read

Film review: In Time Nov 04 2011

NEW Zealand-born screenwriter Andrew Niccol has consistently conjured dark clouds with his dystopian visions of life in the 21st century and beyond.Read

Film review: Tower Heist Nov 04 2011

A THANKSGIVING parade in New York City provides a perfect cover for a daring robbery in Brett Ratner’s action- packed comedy.Read

Downton Abbey - Series 2 (12) Nov 04 2011

ITS popularity is such that Downton Abbey has become less a period drama as a phenomenon.Read

Film review: The Help Oct 28 2011

BASED on the novel by Kathryn Stockett, The Help explores the touching relationship between two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.Read

Film review: The Ideas of March Oct 28 2011

HIGH-flying Democrat presidential candidate Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) has a knack for spouting the perfect sound bite with a winning smile.Read

X-Men: First Class (12) Oct 28 2011

ERIK Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) is on the hunt for the sadistic concentration camp commandant (Kevin Bacon) who murdered his parents. It transpires that the German officer has reinvented himself as power-hungry globe-trotter Sebastian Shaw, who intends to spark nuclear war between Russia and America aided by mutant sidekicks Emma Frost (January Jones), Azazel (Jason Flemyng) and Riptide (Alex Gonzalez). Standing in his way are telepath Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), shape-shifter Raven Darkholme (Jennifer Lawrence) and five gifted mutants. At first Erik and Charles work together to defeat Sebastian, their common enemy. However, a rift opens between the mutant leaders, lighting the fuse on the brutal and bloody war between the X-Men and Magneto's brotherhood. X-Men: First Class is an exhilarating, action-packed prequel based on the hugely popular Marvel Comics that establishes the mythology of the iconic characters and provides tantalising glimpses of where the series can go next. British director Matthew Vaughn delivers a sleek and satisfying opening chapter blessed with a tight script and snappy editing. McAvoy and Fassbender are assured actors, capable of heartbreaking emotion, and there are plenty of tears here as nuclear war looms.Read

Contagion is stylish thriller you will want to catch Oct 21 2011

DIRECTED by the masterful Steven Soderbergh, Contagion is a stylish thriller which imagines the panic when a deadly new virus threatens to become a global epidemic.Read

RIO (U) Oct 21 2011

BLU (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) is a domesticated blue macaw who lives in relative luxury in the sleepy community of Moose Lake, Minnesota, with owner and best friend Linda. Brazilian conservationist Tulio persuades Linda to bring Blu to Rio de Janeiro, so the rare bird can mate with the only known female blue macaw, Jewel (Anne Hathaway).Read

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (15) Rating: llll Oct 21 2011

FROM the moment it premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Lynne Ramsay’s adaptation of the award-winning novel by Lionel Shriver has been generating awards buzz.Read

Movie review: Footloose remake scarcely puts a foot wrong Oct 14 2011

IF IT ain’t broke, don’t fix it is the mantra of director Craig Brewer, who updates the storyline of this toe- tapping remake to present- day Georgia, but retains the characters and plot of the 1984 classic, which immortalised Kevin Bacon as a teen rebel who unites the emotionally scarred youth of his hometown with the power of boogie.Read

Movie review: Real Steel Oct 14 2011

ROCKY goes five rounds with Short Circuit in Real Steel, a futuristic action adventure.Read

Film Review: Johnny English Reborn (PG) Oct 07 2011

JOHNNY English Repackaged might be a more fitting title for Oliver Parker's belated sequel to the 2003 comedy.Read

The Insatiable Moon (15) Oct 07 2011

THIS is a little gem of a movie. We’re in Ponsonby, near Auckland, with a collection of care in the community patients with various levels of madness, alcoholism and even paedophilia.Read

The Lion King roars back to life in 3-D Oct 07 2011

DISNEY'S highest- grossing hand-drawn animation of all time strides majestically back onto the big screen, looking more sensational than ever in 3-D.Read

ABDUCTION (12A)Rating: ll Sep 30 2011

TWILIGHT beefcake Taylor Lautner strikes out on his own in the action-packed thriller Abduction, in which he attempts to prove he’s much more than a pretty face with washboard abs.Read

This Debt is well worth calling in Sep 30 2011

JOHN MADDEN directs a gripping English-language remake of the Israeli film Ha-Hov about three retired Mossad agents, who come face to face with their past.Read

Matching Jack (12) Sep 30 2011

WE’RE in Melbourne and young schoolboy Jack needs a match – a bone marrow one, to be exact. Diagnosed with leukaemia, his best chance is a transplant from a sibling but he doesn’t have one – or does he?Read

Film Review: Crazy in love for romantic comedy Sep 23 2011

INTELLIGENT and sophisticated adult-oriented romantic comedies that don’t resort to gross-out humour are a rarity so Crazy, Stupid, Love is a treat, boasting pithy dialogue and exemplary performances from an ensemble cast, exploring the many winding paths to true love.Read

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